Knowledge for Climate

Lecture and discussion with Mark Leonard – The Relevance of Europe in a Changing World – 9 June

Mark Leonard will hold the ninth and closing lecture in the 2009-2010 lecture series ‘Common Goods in a Divided World’.

Abstract of the lecture:
Today’s economic and political developments present an important test for coherence within the EU, but also for the EU as a global actor. Europe has often hidden behind its institutional changes and problems and was primarily concerned with expansion of the EU. The reality is that the EU has done less to rethink its grand strategy than any of the other great powers. Now, with Obama reconceptualising American foreign policy, China coming to terms with its new status as superpower, and Russia trying to bring countries into its sphere of influence, European policymakers need to work with national governments to come to a more political approach. Only then can governments be aligned behind new approaches in three arenas: their own region, on the world stage and in the setting of global standards. According to Mark Leonard, each arena will involve thinking beyond past successes. Leonard, being Executive Director of the European Council on Foreign Relations, is an expert in the field of Europe’s role as a global actor. In his speech he will go into the current and future role of Europe in international cooperation and how it will influence global efforts to protect and provide common goods.